Into the Void
by Shimmering-Sky
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple reunion. Yet somehow the Signers are pulled into another war... and they're the losing side. Separated and nearly powerless, will they manage to overcome the Void? Or is it true that they're only delaying the inevitable ending?
1. Chapter 1: Prelude to Destruction

**Sky: *Looks up from reading a book* Um… what's going on now?**

 **S-S: Shhhhh! Don't let them know he's here!**

 **Sky: …Again, what?**

 ***Someone knocks on the door***

 **S-S: Tch. *Opens the door a crack; it's a crowd of extremely angry 5Ds characters* You need something?**

 **Akiza: Yeah, where's Doccy?!**

 **S-S: Behind you.**

 **Akiza: Wha—!**

 ***Some time later***

 **Sky: Okay, seriously. What the heck is going on?! Why were those guys looking for Doccy, and why did you duct tape them?!**

 **S-S: Doccy and I are co-writing a story. It's set in the Blue Sky-verse and incorporates The Darkness Within, too…**

 **Doccy: Akiza and the others aren't too happy about that. As for the duct tape, nothing, no matter how powerful, magical, or awesome can penetrate it.**

 **Joseph: Unless you're me! But they're not me because I'M me! *Continues eating cake***

 ***Vague noises of frustration from the closet***

 **Joseph: Sorry Lucy! Can't let you guys out because CAKE!**

 **Sky: Well that explains where the evil muses are. *Pales* But, wait… a collab between you two… oh god…**

 **S-S & Doccy: Exactly.**

 **Sky: Well. Guess I have no choice but to stick around. Ugh. Is there a betting pool for how long it takes for me to die in this story?**

 **S-S: *Laughs***

 **Doccy: We don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds…**

 **S-S: …but we DO own our OCs. Hope you guys enjoy our new story!**

 **Chapter 1**

Even though I'm so excited to be back home with the gang for the first time in four years, I still manage to wear myself out enough to take a nap on the plane ride there. Immediately after I shut my eyes, I hear screaming and smell burning. New Domino. New Domino itself is burning, its citizens screaming to their last breaths. I can't move, can't do anything to stop this image in front of my eyes.

" _Open your eyes. You don't have to wake up, but open your eyes."_

Was this… a vision? After so long? But—no, I refuse to believe _this_ is New Domino's future. It can't be.

" _The world should have died long ago, Fudo. Your actions do nothing but delay the inevitable."_

I don't know where that voice is coming from, or why it's speaking to me. My actions only delay the inevitable? Is that doomed future that Dusk and the others spoke of still going to pass? But… they all vanished. That means the future _had_ to have changed. I just don't understand…

" _Victory is impossible to achieve without sacrifice."_

Something I wouldn't really know. I've never had to sacrifice anything that directly mattered to me without justifying that it would just come back or something. I'm not like Dusk at all in that regard… B-But I still succeeded in my goals, didn't I?

" _Heroism is nothing but a barefaced lie. A lie so common that even its inventors forgot that it was a lie."_

Okay, now that's just stupid. Without heroism, people would be dying left and right in accidents that could have been stopped, or murders that could have been prevented. And… and the world would have been destroyed twice over—by the Dark Signers and by Yliaster. …Well, at least New Domino and Satellite would've been destroyed by Yliaster.

" _She is lying to you…"_

The last thing I see of this vision is the silhouette of a person—I think it's a young man… that has horns?—set over the top of the burning city.

I gasp, my eyes snapping open. I nearly hit my head on the seat in front of me as I sit up, coughing madly. Like I'd actually inhaled a ton of smoke… _But that was just a dream. I couldn't have_ actually _inhaled smoke._

"Sky? Are you alright?" Shoshan's worried voice asks as he lets go of my hand.

…Wait, why was he holding my hand to begin with? "Shoshan… yeah, I'm fine. But why were you…?"

"A-Ah…!" My friend blushes faintly and looks away, scratching his chin. "I was just—your Mark started glowing, and you looked like you were in pain. What were you dreaming about?

I stare at the red mark on the back of my hand, the one that marks me as the Envoy of the Crimson Dragon. I've always wondered why I still have this power, even though everything is peaceful now. If it was glowing, then… maybe that _was_ a premonition. I shudder at the thought. "I… I saw New Domino burning," I admit. No point in trying to hide something from Shoshan. He's too persistent to leave something like this alone.

"Burning?"

"Yeah… but, but I'm sure it's nothing," I say, though I don't sound convinced. "Even if it's not, well, there's no way I'd let that happen, so there's really nothing to fear."

Nothing to fear. Right…

* * *

"So," Crow tries to start, nearly chokes on the food he has in his mouth and has to swallow before he continues, "why don't we have some fun?"

The reunion, so far, has been nothing but catching up on what's happened to everyone since we went our separate ways, and eating a pretty lavish meal that Martha prepared for us. Akiza has been doing her absolute best in college, and can now speak German somewhat fluently. Leo and Luna have also been doing good in school, though it sounds like Leo is about ready to enter the pro leagues. Crow's been having fun with the team he's a part of, winning almost every Duel he's been a part of (no surprise here). Jack, well, he's basically my rival at this point even though we both know that Yusei is his true rival, and I'm quite looking forward to the next Duel I have with him. And as for Yusei, he's made extreme progress in refining the Ener-D Reactor, setting up so many failsafes to prevent the disaster that was Dusk's future.

Then Trudge and Mina are also here. As a "welcome back to New Domino" message from Lazar on Mina's part, and actually as Yusei's friend on Trudge's. Not that I find any problem with that.

Well, Crow's statement somehow triggers everyone to start talking about the scariest things they've been through, barring the things we've been through because of being Signers. It's a bit hard, listening to Crow talking about the time before he was found by Yusei and came to the orphanage, but he _was_ the one who suggested it so he can't just chicken out now. But no one really takes it seriously, until…

"This is nice and all… but can I share one as well?" Trudge asks, leaning forward in his chair.

"You've got a story?" Leo asks, all-too-excited to hear something from an officer of the law.

"Yeah, it was actually the reason I received my first promotion," Trudge replies, leaning back. "Let's see… it was about two years after Zero Reverse. The day started off just fine, no trouble in the part of the City I was patrolling. Then word came in of a Psychic Duelist going nuts inside of an abandoned building."

I look at Akiza's face; talking about Psychics going crazy might be hard for her considering what happened to her. But it's unreadable, aside from a slight frown.

"Naturally my squad shows up at the building. There's a crowd around the building and they're all freaking out about the ungodly screams coming from inside the place. We head in there, and it's this kid, probably only 18 or so, with the strangest Duel Disk attached to his arm. He'd stopped screaming by then. Well, he wouldn't put down the Duel Disk—and at this point the other officers all take out their guns and are near ready to kill the guy."

 _Okay, well this just got suspenseful._

"I wasn't going to let it end just like that, though. I stand my ground, trying to talk some sense into the guy. He responds by letting his powers go out of control—the ground was shaking and the kid somehow grew these large wings made of energy, and he _roars_ —but then almost immediately calms down when his Duel Disk deactivates itself. To this day, the kid's face haunts me. He was so angry, so frustrated… but it looked like he'd gone through hell and barely came out alive. I even asked how he survived whatever made him so angry and sad, and he goes and says, 'Who said I did?'"

The table's silent for a moment—crazy, I know, when Leo and Crow are both here. On the other hand, there's not much to say. I mean, I wonder what happened to make that boy so broken, but I doubt Trudge knows either.

It's actually Trudge himself that breaks the silence as he suddenly frowns, turning towards Akiza. "Actually… his yearly psychological analysis is set for tomorrow. Would there be any way _you_ could assist, Akiza?"

"Me?" The magenta-haired woman raises an eyebrow. "I'm not done with medical school yet, would I even be allowed to?"

"I don't mean conducting the whole analysis, just help out a little, get a set of fresh eyes on his situation. Maybe we'll even make progress on helping him, considering we've never had another Psychic talk to him," Trudge replies.

* * *

Somehow, Akiza agreeing to help out with the analysis turns into all of us tagging along to watch. Like this is some sort of attraction at a circus. I'm not entirely comfortable with it; my gut's been nagging me since that nightmare I had that something bad is going down soon. Besides, Jay Alkain—that's the poor Psychic's name—is still a person. This just isn't right…

"That's him?" Akiza asks as she stares through the window of an isolation cell. A doctor is already in there, a pudgy bald man with glasses so thick I can't see his eyes from here. The other occupant, though…

He appears to be about eighteen (even though according to Trudge's story, he looked like he was eighteen _twenty years ago_ ). He has blood-red hair that's an absolute mess, like he didn't bother combing through it this morning—or _any_ morning. His eyes, meanwhile, aren't like anything I've seen before. One was a once-vibrant blue that was now cold, and the other, blood-red like his hair. But… the scariest thing was that he had _horns_. You'd think that Trudge would have mentioned something like that.

 _Horns… just like that silhouette…_

I blink, forcing the thought away. It's a coincidence. Has to be.

"Yeah," Trudge replies.

Akiza stares, a far-off look in her eyes. "It's strange…"

I'm about to ask what she means by that when the doctor starts to speak. "Alright Jay, we'll start with some simple word association. Just say what pops into your head first. If I were to say 'Day', you would say…" the doctor trails off.

"Sun," Jay responds. I can't sense any emotion at all in his voice.

"Exactly." The doctor clears his throat. "Now, the next one. Fire."

The emotionless look fades for a moment as he shifts, but it returns almost immediately. "Guilt."

"New Domino."

A haunted look appears in his eyes. "Destroyed."

Okay, now _that's_ a weird thing to connect to New Domino. Destroyed? I place my hand against the glass and stare at the man I don't know what to think of. _Guilty when fire's mentioned… my dream…_ _No! That dream hasn't happened and it won't happen in the future!_

"Duelist."

"Warrior."

"Psychic.

"Monster."

Akiza tenses briefly, and Yusei gives her a reassuring look.

Right, her parents had called her a monster when she first developed her powers…

"Sun."

"Darkness."

The doctor frowns and jots down a few notes. Then he continues, "Moon."

"Gone," Jay responds without missing a beat. But he's starting to sound impatient, compared to him being stoic for the last several answers.

The doctor retains the frown. "Akron."

For once, Jay has no response. His eyes are even colder now, like he's trying to keep all his emotions locked up that respond to that word. Akron, though. What does it mean?

"Akron," the doctor repeats, louder.

"Done," Jay says firmly, his lips sealing shut. He's done talking for now, whatever 'Akron' means clearly upset him somehow.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Sky: Oh, great. We got a premonition of the City on fire, what amounts to a recap of the end of The Darkness Within, and now Jay's here too. And I'm not liking the title of this story at all…**

 **Jay: I'd agree if this bothered me. I've gotten too used to Doccy throwing me through hell and back…**

 **Sky: …True, you'd think I would be used to the chaos my author comes up with.**

 **S-S: Yeah, you've been through how many stories now that specifically traumatize you? Eight? Meanwhile Jay's only been through technically three.**

 **Doccy: The Darkness Within, Ascension, and I Miss You? Yeah, three, unless you count Redux separately.**

 **Sky: *Shrugs* Well, whatever. I just wonder how long it's going to take for everything to go downhill.**

 ***S-S and Doccy exchange looks***

 **S-S: You'll find out** _ **very**_ **soon.**

 **Doccy: In the meantime, we wish all of you a happy new year!**

 **S-S: Yep! And please, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review this story if you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2: Fire and Void

**S-S: And... Done! Chapter 2 is ready to be posted! *Flinches, then cradles right hand***

 **Doccy: Are you alright?**

 **S-S: Huh? Oh, yeah, my mom accidentally knocked a towel rack onto my wrist earlier today while we were cleaning one of the bathrooms. It's just a little bruised.**

 **Doccy: Good, then let's get this chapter posted.**

 **Sky: H-Hold on, how much crazy is going down this time?**

 **S-S: You didn't read Doccy's "Void Therapy", did you?**

 **Sky: That's... his version of the story from Jay's POV, isn't it? And no, I haven't.**

 **Doccy: Then let's just say a lot.**

 **S-S: Indeed. Alright, so neither of us own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but you should still enjoy anyways!**

 **Chapter 2**

With Jay refusing to speak anymore, Trudge walks over to Akiza with a thick file in his hands. "Here you go, Akiza. This is everything we have on Jay Alkain. If you could look over it real fast…?"

"Of course." She takes it and opens it while walking away. Almost immediately after opening it, however, she stops and looks at the Sector Security officer incredulously. "This is… these are his _actual_ records?" She shakes her head slightly. "I figured something was up with him when you told us how you met, but… this is…"

"Something else entirely, yeah," Trudge agrees. "And you've only seen the first page. It gets _weirder_."

Leo pipes up, "What's weird?"

 _I'm kind of curious too…_

Akiza explains that the file says Jay hasn't eaten or drank _anything_ since his arrival at this facility—and he's been here pretty much the entire time since he was found by Trudge. Yet, he looks _physically_ healthy, and he certainly isn't _dead_. How on earth can he be alive if he hasn't had anything to eat or drink in twenty years? That isn't normal. That isn't _human_. I look at Jay through the window again, focusing on his horns. _If he isn't human… what is he?_

A chill runs up my spine; the redhead is staring at us, though if he's looking at someone in particular I can't tell from this distance. …Well, that's stupid, he couldn't possibly be looking at anyone in particular; what is a window for us is a mirror for him. Still…

But that's all we find out from the file itself; Akiza can't stand around all day, she has to actually go in and speak to Jay. The doctor that had just finished the word association test—ironically named Baldwin—goes back into the room with Akiza, and Trudge stands just inside the door of what could very well amount to an interrogation room. Akiza sat in the chair Doctor Baldwin was in, and Jay raises his face to meet hers.

They sit there, staring at each other for a good minute. If I didn't know any better, I would have said these two knew each other, built-up tension from some event in their past hovering thick in the air between them. But I _do_ know better; Jay's been in this facility for almost as long as Akiza has been alive. There's no way these two could have met.

Finally, Akiza breaks the ice with a quick breath, almost steadying herself. "So, your name is Jay Alkain, correct?" She sounds almost unnerved for some reason. Then again, she just had a staring contest with someone whose very appearance creeps _me_ out.

"Yes," he replies smoothly.

"How old are you, Jay?"

He purses his lips for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "I don't know."

Akiza blinks in response, then goes on to observe the rest of Jay's face. Her eyes settle on the mark on Jay's face—the two black rhombuses that were black instead of the usual yellow. I can't remember seeing anyone with a mark like that during my stay at the Facility… but, didn't it mean…?!

"What is that black mark, Jay? Is it a mark from the Facility?" Akiza's voice cuts through my thoughts.

Jay's response confirms my thoughts as he nods, elaborating with the mere words, "Death row."

Yusei tenses at the confirmation; no doubt he's not comfortable leaving Akiza in there with someone who was sent to _death row_. I don't blame him. As corrupt as Goodwin was… the only sort of criminals that obtained death row were serial killers and/or rapists. Not even Kalin, after _bombing a Sector Security_ _building in Satellite_ and _beating one of their officers to death_ was condemned to that sort of fate. Which begged the question of _what_ he could have done to land himself on death row.

"Why did you turn yourself in, Jay? Why did you choose to live your life here, in isolation?"

"Better than making it worse," he replies simply. Considering what Trudge said about his powers, and the whole death row thing… His words ring true. Psychics without control of their powers _are_ a danger to everyone… it's a sad life indeed.

"Don't you have a family, Jay?" I can't help but notice that Akiza keeps ending her questions with his name.

If it was possible, Jay's eyes darken as they narrow slightly. "Not anymore." He pauses. "My fault." Akiza's resulting sigh of pity seems to set off the redhead, as his hands twitch a few times before he clenches them, gritting his teeth.

"Don't you want to be with someone? Not be alone all your life?"

 _Akiza… I don't think he wants to hear that…_ An unsettling feeling churns in my gut; _something_ is about to go down and I have no idea what it is.

" _No_ ," Jay replies sternly, still gritting his teeth. "I _can't_ go home. I _have_ no home. Not for someone like _me_."

Oh she's _definitely_ gotten him agitated now, and that _definitely_ isn't good.

But she still presses on, no doubt sympathizing with him based on her past as the Black Rose. "Jay, I'm here to help you. I can feel your pain; I'm psychic like you. I can help you, just let me—"

 _The final straw that broke the camel's back._

" _ **SHUT UP!**_ "

With one hand, he flings the table against the wall, the area where he grabbed it shaped with his hand. It looks like Trudge moves to restrain him with a taser, but Jay roars before he can get it out. The ground trembles violently, and it's nearly impossible to stand anymore. A sickening crack draws my attention back into the room; Baldwin lies with his neck twisted at too odd of an angle against the wall, and Trudge seems to have been blown through the door.

And yet, somehow, Akiza is untouched. Trembling in fear, but completely untouched. Jay walks towards her, and she tries to shuffle away, but he reaches over and touches her forehead.

Then everything seems to just _stop_.

* * *

 _There's a pressure in my head._

 _I can vaguely recognize the Crimson Dragon's power surfacing in the Marks on my hand and back._

 _My chest tightens; I can't breathe. There's only smoke._

 _Smoke. Burning. Something's burning._

 _I open my eyes._

 _I'm standing in the middle of a street, burning buildings on fire all around me._

 _And suddenly a violent wind kicks up, the fire surrounding me, but not quite touching my body._

 _My legs quiver. I think I'm going to fall._

" **You left us to die!"** _Leo's voice echoes loudly over the flames._

 _What… why…? Leo…?_

 _The fire draws closer to me, and now the crinkling of the blaze and the thundering of buildings collapsing is drowned out by screaming. I can see them, through the fire. People screeching, thrashing about, trying desperately to escape the greedy fire that was trying to consume them. I can't do anything to help. I try to reach out for them, but my arms won't move._

" **There were nine million people alive in New Domino, the day before you woke up."**

 _A scream catches in the back of my throat. That time, that voice was the one that spoke to me in my dream on the plane. This scene in front of me, this is exactly what I saw then, isn't it?_

" **The only villain here is you."** _Akiza's voice this time, but who is she really talking to?_

 _And then whatever barrier there was around me that shielded me from the flames disappears; now the wind blows it at me from all directions. That choked-back scream finally has a voice to back it now as I can feel the flames dancing up my body, searing at my skin. Like when I touched the oven burner when I was young, only all over and a million times worse._

" **Lucky you."**

 _I close my eyes, still screaming. I want this to end…_

* * *

Someone's shaking me by the shoulders. I think I hear them say my name, too. I slowly open my eyes, flinching as the sun assaults my eyes. It's warm on my skin. Too warm. The burning of that vision comes back, and I instinctively try to slap at my own arms—to find that I'm not on fire; to find that I'm sitting next to the partially-collapsed roof of the facility in which Jay is held; and to find that my brother is the one desperately trying to bring me back to reality, a stream of blood down the left side of his face from a cut on the side of his head. Dust hangs in the air and settles on us as well, likely from the insulation in the ceiling.

I blink. "What…?"

Yusei sighs in relief, letting go of my shoulders. "You're finally responsive. Come on, we need to get out of here—the rest of the roof can collapse any second now, and we can't discuss anything if we're dead."

 _Finally… responsive…?_

He eyes the room that was once Jay's cell; still somehow intact despite being the epicenter of the quake, if Jay's power was the cause. "I-I have to get Akiza and Trudge out of there. You take Shoshan and get outside, the others should already be out," he tells me.

Shoshan. Where is he…?

A mixture of sobbing and extremely rapid breaths finally registers in my mind, and I turn around. Leaning against part of the fallen ceiling, knees pulled to his chest and hands over his ears, is where my green-eyed friend is, tears streaming down his face like a child being forced to face their biggest fear.

…

Oh god. Shoshan must have seen that vision as well. And he's _deathly_ afraid of fire.

"Shoshan… are you…?" I slide over to him, pressing a hand to his face. He doesn't so much as blink in response. So I change tactics, tugging at his left arm. "Shoshan, it's alright. Nothing's on fire, but the roof of this building might collapse any second now, we need to leave." Still no response. I sigh; if pulling his arm didn't work, then the only thing that might is… _Sorry about this, Shoshan…_ I slap him in the face.

 _That_ has the intended reaction; he jerks back, blinking, and cupping a hand over his now-pink cheek. "Wh-What…? What was that for?"

I scowl, quickly explaining what was going on _again_. The urgency of my words is met with another section of the roof crumbling and landing mere feet from us, stirring up another round of dust that coats our bodies. If this situation was in any way _not_ dangerous, I would probably humor everyone by commenting that we look like walking ghosts. But we're risking our lives by lingering around here any longer; I can only pray that Yusei's found Akiza and Trudge and has gotten them out as well.

* * *

Lucky for Shoshan and I, there's a small path out of the building that has—so far—been spared most of the destruction of the earthquake. We have to crawl for a few minutes, though, where the ceiling has fallen but not all the way to the floor yet. It ends up taking maybe twenty minutes to get from where we were to the exit.

And man, is it chaos out here.

The entire front lawn of Solemnace is _full_ of Sector Security, EMTs, and people I assume are the patients of this place. About ten feet from us, three officers are trying to restrain someone that's thrashing about, screaming about the end of the world. He's not the only one talking about something like that; I can hear fragments of conversations from other residents of Solemnace rambling on about it at well.

An officer comes up to us, asking for our identification and reason for being inside. I tell him that we were observing our friend Akiza trying to help Jay Alkain when the earthquake hit. I also mention that my brother might still be inside trying to help get Trudge and Akiza out of there. He nods, and runs off to speak to a few other officers. I see a few of them head back inside… could they be trying to get them out?

' _Hey, Sky, what was the spell for healing again?'_ Yusei's voice echoes in my head.

' _Dziedet, but why? Are you alright?'_

' _I'm fine; Trudge just has a few broken bones, and I can't drag him_ and _Akiza out of here.'_

' _What happened to Akiza?!'_

There's no response. I try again, but he's completely shut me out. That's… really strange. I can't remember the last time he wouldn't let me contact him. Just what happened with Akiza…?

"Oi! Sky, Shoshan! You guys have any idea what the hell's going on?!" Crow's voice pulls me back to reality, and I spot my orange-haired friend running up from my left. Leo, Luna, and Jack are all behind him—but Jack is walking slowly, holding his side, and Luna looks extremely shaken. "Our marks all started glowing when that quake hit, and then you, Shoshan, and Luna all started screaming bloody murder!" Crow adds. "The hell was that about?"

Wait, Luna as well? "Luna, you saw it too?" I ask.

She blinks, then looks at me. Her face is pale. "I did," she admits. "And… I know that Jay caused that, somehow. But… it doesn't make sense…"

I nod in agreement. Jay has never met Leo before, and Akiza going into his cell was the first time he met her. So there's no way that he could have Leo and Akiza making those comments in that vision. But the fact remains that we still saw it, and still heard those comments.

"I'm lost. What'd you guys see?" Crow asks.

"New Domino was burning… and there were three different voices, too," I say. "That's the confusing part. Leo was one of them, and Akiza was the third. Saying things like 'You left us to die' and 'The only villain here is you'."

"Huh? _I_ said that?" Leo tilts his head to the side. "I think I would remember saying something like that, especially if it was to Jay. Pretty sure I've never met a guy with horns before."

 _We're clearly missing a big part of the picture. Though Jay's clearly the center of it… maybe Akiza could tell us more? …Of course she has to be alright, first…_ "I know, Leo. If only we knew more about him…"

"What about Yusei? Where is he?" Jack interrupts, wincing slightly. I think he's bleeding underneath where he's holding his side.

 _Must've been hit by part of the roof or something. He really needs to get looked at by one of the EMTs._

But before I can say anything in response… the sky goes dark. Even though there's not a cloud in sight.

What in the…?"

Our marks are glowing again, darker than normal. Lightning flashes in front of us—but it's purple, and forms a crater in the ground. And out from the pit rises… some sort of creature. It's made of that same purple light mixed with black, held together by some sort of metal. The creature looks like a lion ready rip any of us apart, and yet appears humanoid enough to be bipedal and… has a Duel Disk as part of one arm?!

All around us, more purple lightning flashes. More of these sames creatures show up, though they all appear different. All of them have the appearance of some predatory beast aside from the humanoid aspects.

Then two red eyes appear on what has to be the first creature's head, staring right at us.

" _SigNErs… weLcoME to ThE Void."_

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Sky: *Mouth agape***

 **S-S: Doccy warned you, didn't he? Lots of crazy, remember?**

 **Sky: But... this is...**

 **Jay: At least you didn't have my perspective on New Domino burning. You honestly had it easy there.**

 **Sky: *Shudders* If that was the EASY version... I don't think I want to know yours.**

 **Jay: Trust me, you don't.**

 **S-S: I happen to think your perspective was cooler though, Jay.**

 **Sky: Of course you would...**

 **S-S: Haha... I think Lucy and Z.Z. are starting to rub off on me.**

 **Sky: Lovely.**

 **Doccy: Ah well. Please don't forget to review!**

 **S-S: Also, check out Void Therapy on Doccy's profile if you want to see Jay's perspective of this chapter and the end of the last one! It's really good!**


	3. Chapter 3: Ambush

**Sky: …Oh God no, not this again.**

 **S-S: Sorry~! Doccy wanted to work on it, therefore it was worked on!**

 **Doccy: That, and I'm dying to get the plot properly rolling.**

 **S-S: Anyways, enough talk! This chapter is a super long one, let's get it over with!**

 **Doccy: Neither of us own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds! Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 3**

" _So. You're here. What do you want?"_

" _What are you? Your existence is a paradox."_

" _I'm the opposite of why you're asking that question. I'm something you'll never understand."_

* * *

With the sheer number of these creatures spilling out of the sky, we decide it's best to split up. I can only hope that the others stay safe and win their Duels… but, mostly, I'm worried about Yusei and Akiza. They're still inside last I knew, and I don't know if Akiza is in any condition to fight…

 _God I hate not knowing how my brother is…_

The strangest thing, however, is that the mark on my hand has stopped glowing… but the events surrounding me right now looks like the Crimson Dragon would be all over it. There's no sign of her power in me, something I think might be necessary if these creatures are as strong as they look. I don't understand…

But still. There are only three of these creatures in front of me now—the one that looks like a lion, one like a bear, and another like a wolf. They're severely underestimating me if they think three of these will be able to beat me.

"Duel!"

* * *

" _You know they'll lose, right? You know the Yozi are too powerful."_

" _Yes. But I have another one who can save them."_

" _Lucky you, then."_

* * *

 **Void-Lion's Life Points: 4000 / Void-Bear's Life Points: 4000 / Void-Wolf's Life Points: 4000 / Sky's Life Points: 4000**

The first to go is the lion-like creature. It sets two cards face-down and Summons a monster called _Void Bomber_ in Attack Mode. The creature that appears looks not dissimilar to its controller, a mess of metal held together by purple energy. It looks less animalistic, though, what with the cannon on its back and its face looking less than an animal and more like a blank mask.

 **Void Bomber: 1500 ATK / 1000 DEF / Level 3**

Second to go is the bear-looking creature. I thought this was a three-on-one Tag Duel… not a Battle Royale… which means I'm at an extreme disadvantage if I can't maintain a field advantage. This time, my opponent Summons a different monster—a Tuner called _Void Spectre_. A tiny fairy appears in front of the bear-creature, limbs made of purple energy and the rest of its body, metal. The thing looks harmless… but it's a Tuner…

 **Void Spectre: 1000 ATK / 700 DEF / Level 2**

…and it's a Tuner that lets them Synchro Summon using _any_ face-up "Void" monster as Synchro Material. Which means they can use the _Void Bomber_ the other one Summoned… to Synchro Summon something called _Darkv_ _oid Stalker_.

The small fairy turns into two bright green rings, circling around the other creature for a few moments. After a flash of light, the new monster is absolutely _horrifying_. It looks like some ungodly combination between a spider and a crab, thick metal coating its body like a chitinous shell. And to top off the horror, its mouth was atop its _stomach_ , huge and gaping, the jaws purple energy.

 **Darkvoid Stalker: 2000 ATK / 2000 DEF / Level 5**

And lastly, the creature activates a Field Spell called _Voidworld_.

The area around us turns even _darker_ , if that was possible. Now we're trapped in some sort of black bubble illuminated only by purple lightning flashing in the distance and the light of the bodies of my opponents. I can _barely_ see my cards. And now there's a dull ringing sound in my ears…

 _Voidworld's_ effects apparently cause all monsters on the field and in the Graveyard to be treated as "Void" cards, then grant "Darkvoid" and "Darksign" Synchro Monsters 100 extra ATK and DEF for each of those cards in the Graveyard. Lucky me, there's two of them because of that Synchro Summon.

 **Darkvoid Stalker: 2000 ATK to 2200 ATK / 2000 DEF to 2200 DEF**

And finally, the last one, the wolf-like creature. It Summons another Tuner— _Void Driver_ —then immediately uses its effect to banish itself and the _Void Bomber_ in the first creature's Graveyard to Synchro Summon _Darkvoid Ghost_. This creature looks… almost human, actually. Aside from the purple wings and pale skin, the ornate metal armor and that face could pass for royalty.

 **Darkvoid Ghost: 2200 ATK to 2300 / 2200 DEF to 2300 DEF / Level 6**

 **Darkvoid Stalker: 2200 ATK to 2100 ATK / 2200 ATK to 2100 ATK**

The creature also sets two cards before ending its turn. At least there was one less "Void" monster in the Graveyard because of its move…

* * *

" _You do know what happens when the Signers lose, right? The entirety of New Domino will be assimilated by the Yozi."_

" _No, it won't. I'll fuse with the city. I'll shield it from the Void."_

" _You're willing to do that? You'll be dying slowly. You'll be in ceaseless agony."_

" _It's what I have to do."_

* * *

 _My turn at last!_ "It's my turn, draw!"

 _Celestial Knight - Earth_ , _Celestial Wizard_ , _Celestial Knight - Saturn_ , _Celestial Reflector_ , _Celestic Speed_ , and _Crimson Star Mage_. Well, the last one seems to be the odd one out for now. But the rest of my hand? Depending on what I draw with _Celestic Speed_ , I could potentially get out two of my dragons this turn. "Alright, I'm starting this with the Spell _Celestic Speed_! With this, I can draw two cards, but then I have to discard a 'Celestial' monster from my hand!"

 _Celestial Barricade_ and _Silver Wishes_. Oh well, two Synchros on my first turn might've been a bit much to ask for.

The card I choose to discard is _Celestial Wizard_. Then I Normal Summon _Celestial Knight - Earth_ , one of my Tuners, a woman in dark-green armor trimmed with blue and a dagger in hand. The fact that I now control a "Celestial" monster allows me to Special Summon _Celestial Knight - Saturn_ from my hand, then get _Wizard_ back because he was Special Summoned that way. And _Wizard's_ effect lets me Special Summon himself just like _Saturn_ did. So now a yellow-armored knight with twin katana and a man in a silver robe wielding a staff stand next to the lady knight.

 **Celestial Knight - Earth: 1900 ATK / 1000 DEF / Level 4**

 **Celestial Knight - Saturn: 2000 ATK / 1000 DEF / Level 4**

 **Celestial Wizard: 1800 ATK / 1000 DEF / Level 4**

"I Tune my Level 4 _Celestial Knight - Earth_ with my Level 4 _Celestial Knight - Saturn_! _As night falls and darkness rises, the stars gather together to form one mighty beast! Synchro Summon! Bring forth the light, Celestial Dragon-Quasar!_ " I chant.

My female knight turns into four green rings that orbit the male one for a brief time before exploding in light. I smile as I watch my ace monster appear; a silver dragon just like my brother's, only with pale-blue eyes and dark purple wings, not to mention the star engraved on her shoulder.

 **Celestial Dragon - Quasar: 3000 ATK / 2000 DEF / Level 8**

"And now—"

" _ConTInUoUs TrAp, ACtivAte!_ Voidspawn Lock _!"_ the lion-like creature declares, one of its two face-downs flipping up.

Suddenly there are chains erupting from the ground, entrapping my dragon like a fish caught in a net. They glow purple for a moment before shattering, _Quasar_ going with them. I can do nothing but watch as my Duel Disk indicates that _Quasar_ is to be returned to the Extra Deck, confused more than anything over this. And when I do exactly as I'm supposed to, the chains now _wrap around my Duel Disk_ , binding the Extra Deck shut and tightening on my arm. Any tighter and I think these chains could _break_ me.

Not a pleasant thought at all.

"Voidspawn Lock _rETurnS_ Celestial Dragon - Quasar _tO the ExTRA DecK, thEn PreVEntS aNy noN-'Void' MonSTerS fRoM beINg SyNCHRo SummoNeD,"_ the lion explains, and I swear it tries smirking at me. " _AlsO, DUe to tHe efFEcTs oF_ Voidworld _, thOSe twO mONSteRs of yoURs In thE GraVEyarD ArE tReATed aS 'Void' MoNsTerS…"_

 **Darkvoid Stalker: 2100 to 2300 ATK / 2100 to 2300 DEF**

 **Darkvoid Ghost: 2300 to 2500 ATK / 2300 to 2500 DEF**

 _Oh crap… if I can't Synchro Summon, then that means…_ I look back at my hand, then at my field. _Celestial Wizard_ is pretty much useless by himself… and, considering I don't know what their other face-down cards are… I look down, careful not to move my left arm too much. "I… set two cards and end my turn…"

* * *

" _So why did you really decide to come here?"_

" _What else was I going to do?"_

" _You could use your power for good."_

" _That's so easy for you to say."_

* * *

" _MY turN!"_ The lion creature draws its card. " _I SuMmON_ Void Slasher _!"_

Yet another haphazard mess of metal and violet energy appears on the field, this one, true to its name, weaponized with huge blades.

 **Void Slasher: 1600 ATK / 1000 DEF / Level 4**

"Slasher _gAIns 100 ATK foR EvERy 'Void' moNsTer oN tHe fieLD…"_

 **Void Slasher: 1600 ATK to 2000**

" _NExT, I'lL acTIvaTe mY faCE-doWN, the TRAp_ Voidspawn Bolt _! YoU canNoT aCTivAte nON-'Void' SpELl Or TrAp caRDs thiS TurN!"_

More chains burst forth from the ground, this time wrapping around my other hand. I try breaking free—but the chains are too tight, too sharp, and I don't want to cut myself on them. But… But…! If I can't activate my Spell or Trap cards this turn… then I'm screwed. Both of my face-downs require a face-up "Celestial" monster to activate, and _Void Slasher_ can easily destroy _Celestial Wizard_ this turn.

This… can't be happening. There's no way I can lose at a time like this. I—

A high-pitched screaming draws me out of my thoughts, and I turn in time to see Luna flying through the air, having taken a direct attack from another copy of _Darkvoid Stalker_. She hits the ground— _hard_ —and doesn't make a move to get back up before the Voids she was fighting off make off with her.

"N-No! Luna!"

The chains prevent me from chasing after them. How… How pathetic… I, the Envoy of the Crimson Dragon, can do nothing to help my friends as they're all losing to the Voids, one by one. Because Luna was just the first to lose; I see Crow step in to take a hit for Leo, pointless because Leo loses the next turn anyways, and Jack—he just straight-up _collapses_ , probably because of the injury from the roof's collapse, and the only reason I know he isn't dead is because my Signer Mark _still_ isn't glowing. I still don't know where Yusei and Akiza are, but… but if I had to guess, the Voids are probably trying to capture them, too, if they haven't already.

My throat goes sore as I try to fight back tears. These Voids have us outmatched. I-I'm going to lose before my next turn. What good am I if I can't protect the people I love even with all of my power?

"I'll take over from here," a voice that I can't possibly be hearing right now says, from behind me. I turn, my eyes wide, the name of the voice's owner already forming on my lips—and then that person slams something over my head and I fall over, my vision blurry. My attacker kneels down in front of me, sliding one hand under my back and the other under my knees before lifting me up. All I can see is orange and purple, orange and purple, orange and purple…

 _Wh-Why would you… do this…?_

My eyes shut completely before I can finish that thought.

* * *

" _Looks like it's just you and me left now."_

" _We've met before, haven't we?"_

" _Yes. We have."_

" _I… I wish we could have met under better circumstances."_

" _Me too."_

* * *

 _Food. I need… we need food. And some water. Why can't I find water…?_

I collapse in the middle of the street, destruction all around me. It was only a few days ago when everything was _normal_ , when everything was _alright_ —and now my parents are dead and I can't even find anything to keep myself or Yusei alive. He quit crying a while ago, but I'm sure if he starts up again I won't be able to keep him quiet.

 _I'm too young for this… no, we both are. I'm… I'm only eight, and Yusei's… he just turned one… I-I can't…_

I'd cry if I had any water left in my body to spare. No one wants to help two starving orphans, not when they're so worried about themselves after the world went mad. Instead, my throat goes sore, and I hold Yusei tighter. "Mommy… Daddy… why'd you… why'd you have to die…?" Because they had, they definitely had, they were both still _there_ when that light swallowed everything it could.

 _H-Huh…?_

My grip on my brother loosens. His eyes are half-shut, and his head just hangs limp. My chest tightens, a burning sensation filling my lungs and heart, spreading to the rest of my body rapidly and increasing in intensity.

 _No… this isn't… this can't be happening…!_

Yusei… he's not breathing… h-his heart isn't beating…!

I scream until my throat is too raw to scream anymore.

* * *

 _What are those boys up to this time…?_

I put down my journal, looking out the window of The Enforcer's hideout. I can hear screaming from out there—mostly angry shouts from Kalin, I think—not uncommon around here considering Crow has a tendency to piss off Kalin and Jack for fun. But just in case… I decide to leave the safety of my room, and check out what's going on out there.

I'm taken aback by what I see: it's not Crow on the receiving end of Kalin's anger but _Yusei_ , the two wrestling on the ground, though it looks like Yusei's just taking the hits instead of actually fighting. I blink a few times, frozen in place. Yep, this is _actually_ happening.

"Hey, what are you two—?!" I start to ask, and then everything just _freezes_ because the ground underneath them both collapses. They were too close to the edge of the cliff…!

Whatever they were fighting about leaves my mind immediately. I run over to where they both disappeared from, screaming their names. They, they have to be alright. _Yusei_ has to be alright. He… He… I can't watch him die again.

 _(Again? Again. I've watched him die before.)_

But when I reach the cliff… only Kalin is holding on—barely, he looks like he's in complete shock. And in the rocks of the shore beneath…

The water has turned red, with nothing more than Yusei's blank eyes staring up at me.

* * *

My breath hitches with a sob, Crow rubbing my back to keep me comfortable. Everything is numb even though I know I should be in a lot of pain—my side is burned from the Duel with Kalin. But I don't care, not right now, not when Yusei's hurt so badly. He… He lost so much blood on my Duel Runner… why'd he have to crash so badly? I know it saved him from losing to Kalin, but… but…! This is still _Satellite_ , we don't just have quality medical care just lying around!

Bile rises in my throat. _Please, Yusei, you can't die. Please live. I-I can't watch you die again._

 _(Because this would be the third time, wouldn't it?)_

The burning fills my very core again, and I stop breathing. Shakily, I look up at the door that led to where Martha and Dr. Schmidt were trying to save Yusei's life, covering my mouth with one hand. This burning is just like… but, no, it can't be…

The door opens. Martha, her apron covered in Yusei's blood, steps out. She doesn't need to say anything—she just shakes her head sadly.

"No… Please, no! Y-You're wrong!" I scream. "You have to be wrong!"

* * *

The first thing I'm consciously aware of is the taste of blood. It's overwhelming, so I cough it out, red blurring my vision. Huh, I hadn't realized my eyes were open. I push myself up, everything blurring even more, a massive pounding shaking my skull. I… I can't… hear really well either. Ngh, what happened…?

I press a hand over my eyes, trying to steady my breathing and _focus_. I'm in some sort of canyon… my ears are ringing like a bomb just went off… W-Wait, that was it! Kalin, Yusei, and I were about to escape, when Lawton threw that dynamite at us. I couldn't react in time so we all went flying… and… and, the cliff, I must've fallen over the edge of the cliff.

 _What about Yusei and Kalin?! Did they fall too?!_

I panic, looking around. Kalin, I don't see Kalin. But Yusei is… he's…!

"Yusei!" I shout, crawling to his side. He's lying on his back, a hefty amount of blood pooled around him, staining the yellowish rocks below us bright red. "Yusei…!" He makes a noise, and his eyelids shift slightly but don't open. I grab one of his hands, clinging to it like a lifeline.

 _(He's alive, he's alive, he's alive. It's not like those other times, he's_ alive _!)_

"S…ky…?"

I blink away some of my tears, smiling. "It's alright, Yusei. I'm here. We're both still alive… i-it's all going to be alright."

"K-Kal…in… where…"

 _Worrying about his friends before himself, how typical._ "I don't know where he landed," I tell him, "but I'm sure he's alright. Just like us…"

My brother struggles to open his eyes, the once-bright blue now almost devoid of life. "Sky… where… a-are… you…? I-I ca…n't… see…"

My heart pounds harder, throat tightening. I don't like this… "I'm right here, Yusei. Right here…" And I lift his hand to my face. "See? I'm right here, and you're there, and we're both going to be alright."

He doesn't respond… and his hand goes limp in my arms.

"Y-Yusei…? Yusei, answer me!"

* * *

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

Darkness. The darkness is swallowing me and I can't move to struggle against it. My breathing feels forced and _hurts_ , like a stabbing in my chest every time I take a breath. Darkness. More darkness. Still can't move. …Wait… this isn't… my eyes are just shut, what am I thinking? I focus on that, fighting through the haze to open my eyes… and succeed.

I'm in a hospital for some reason. The beeping is my heart monitor, and I can't move because of my injuries—I can feel the bandages wrapped tightly around my chest, and I can see the cast on my right arm. But how did I… end up so injured…?

I blink a few times. At least I can still do that.

Shoshan's face suddenly appears in my vision, his green eyes wide with worry. "Sky? Are you, are you really awake?"

I try to speak, but there's something over my mouth so the best I can do is make some sort of grunting sound.

My friend almost cries, running a hand through his hair. "Thank goodness… I was so afraid that, that you wouldn't wake up."

I stare blankly at him. _What happened…?_

"You don't remember what happened?" Shoshan says. He starts shaking in his seat. "You were, you were Dueling… against Yusei. Semi-finals of the WRGP and all, y'know?" The shaking gets worse, and I think I already know what to expect and I can feel myself start to cry because that _can't_ be happening but I know it is. "There was, there was a freak accident…" Shoshan continues, his voice trembling. "I'm… I'm so sorry Sky, Yusei, he didn't make it."

" _You're wrong!"_

I blink. That was… Shoshan's voice too, wasn't it…?

"Wh-What the…? Who are you?!" Shoshan shouts at whoever the intruder in my hospital room is.

I tilt my head enough to see the other person—it's… also Shoshan? But, everything's wrong. He's injured, dirty, and looks far too old. Shoshan is, he's the same age as me—and he's sitting right next to me, too. Who the heck is this person?

"Sky," the stranger says, staring right at me. His bright-green-eyes look so relieved upon seeing my face. "Sky, he's wrong. Yusei's alive."

"What are you talking about?! I saw… I saw his body myself!" Shoshan cries.

"This isn't real, Sky! It's just a nightmare, a horrible nightmare the Voids are feeding you to keep you under their control!" the stranger says.

 _Voids? Nightmare? But… this is real… isn't it…?_

"Okay, I don't know _what_ you're talking about, but it's _not cool_ to make up something like that." Shoshan sounds… _pissed_ , for lack of a better word, and pins the stranger to the wall. I've never seen him act like this before… I thought Shoshan didn't like fighting.

"But I'm not making this up!" The stranger frees himself from Shoshan's grasp, running to my side. "Sky, it's me—the _real_ Shoshan! Don't you remember? The WRGP ended _four years_ ago, we beat Team New World and Broken Time together with Team 5Ds, and then we fought back the Ark Cradle."

I can't stop the tears flowing down my face. He's wrong, he's wrong, he's wrong. He's not Shoshan, and the WRGP isn't done yet. But Yusei, Yusei's still dead. I couldn't keep him safe— _again_. He's _gone_ …

"You want it to end, don't you?" the stranger claiming to be Shoshan says. "You want to stop watching Yusei die, don't you? Just trust me… and take my hand." He pauses for a moment, his hand outstretched towards me. "Please, Sky. We… no, _I_ need you. Come back to me…"

Something clicks in my head, and I can move. I… I don't hurt anymore. Is he, is he really telling the truth?

"Don't do it, Sky…!" Shoshan screams.

Too late. I've already taken his hand… and everything around me turns white.

 **To be continued…**

* * *

 **Sky: …What.**

 **S-S: Exactly.**

 **Jay: Those were… parts of Void Therapy, weren't they?**

 **Doccy: They were indeed.**

 **Sky: But… this… why Yusei?! Haven't you killed him enough times in your stories already?**

 **S-S: Sorry. Kinda needed you to be emotionally tortured throughout that entire sequence, and what better than to watch your brother die repeatedly?**

 **Sky: *Throws up arms in defeat and storms off***

 **S-S: Haha…**

 **Doccy: Hm. Well, please leave a review!**

 **S-S: And definitely give Doccy's version of this story a look too!**


End file.
